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View Full Version : [4E] Dragon Advice, Help me punish my party for their arrogance...



Jkol
2009-08-10, 09:55 PM
I apologize if the title is a bit cryptic, the situation is as follows (its a bit long):

Level 4 Party (now level 5) ventured into a 2 level, sealed dungeon in search of quest items.

The ultimate boss was a Young Green Dragon. In order to justify it's existence in such a place I decided that it had been captured and pressed into service. A series of magical chains served to limit it's mobility and power (ie: why is a dragon who has been chained for centuries still just a young adult) as well as magically sustaining it without food or water.

Anyways, as the encounter was coming to the close the party's fighter decided to attempt to force a surrender when the dragon was sitting at about 27 HP. This didn't seem too out of place considering that the dragon was a couple of hits from death and in no position to flee. He succeeded and the party took the loot they needed.

If the whole saga had ended there of course, I would not be writing now.

Instead the party has decided that this obscure, 2 level dungeon of little notice would make a nice hideaway/lair and that it would be even better with a pet dragon to guard their most important items.

I am perfectly ok with this situation. However, I do believe that player choices should not result in potential rewards without appropriate risks and consequences on the side.

More to the point; I know that poor old Izzl'thak (the dragon) is not ok with this situation. Dragons are powerful, elitist and arrogant creatures and not without reason. Green Dragons in particular are supposed to be particularly manipulative. Although I have other great ideas for the campaign, I am having significant trouble with ideas for an appropriate response.

So my humble request, the short version:

Help me help this wyrm worm his way out of captivity and punish the players for the insults he has suffered:

Party Composition:
1) Dragonborn Fighter 5 (Unaligned)
2) Dwarven Shaman 5 (Unaligned)
3) Eladrin Wizard 5 (Good)
4) Goliath Barbarian 5 (Unaligned)
5) *New Player/Character: Tiefling Warlock 5 (Uncertain align)

Party Situation:
They are all prisoners, volunteers and/or victims of circumstance who found themselves trapped on a volcanic island currently in use as a penal colony. One long term goal for the more mercenary members is escape.

Izzal'Thak's (Young Green Dragon) situation:
1) Chained in bottom of 2 level dungeon, magically sustained and
aging/mobility suppressed. He could possibly advance an age category if
freed.
2) Forced to surrender before being robbed blind by party who now want to
control him.
3) Would probably negotiate with party dealing from position of strength
to guard their stuff, but secretly plot revenge.
4) Willing to spread lies, sow discord amongst party.
5) Willing and possibly able to kill individual PC's who approach him alone.
6) Will agree to fly the party off the island if freed but prone to betrayal.

I have the easy basics down but I feel like the consequences of their arrogance should be more spectacular than just this. Any help/dastardly ideas would be greatly appreciated.

- Jkol

Saph
2009-08-10, 10:09 PM
There are two keys to running a deceptive villain:

1) Let the players call the shots, and adapt your plans to what they want.
2) Let them think it's their idea.

Don't come up with a plan and try and force the players into following it. Instead, let them believe that the dragon's cowed and will do what they tell it to. Ask them what they want. Then figure out how to use that to the dragon's advantage.

The dragon's biggest goal should be to get free, so, the obvious plan is to ask the players what they want from it, wait for them to mention escape as a goal, then for him to say that he'd be quite happy to fly them off the island if they can break him free.

Don't have him betray, lie, and spread evil just for the sake of it. For the moment the dragon's only goal should be escape. He'll be willing to subordinate everything else until he can manage that.

If I was running this I'd have the dragon act in every way as a willing servant of the party, and even try to make friends with them, as long as there seemed some possibility of escaping. Over a period of time I'd arrange things so that the party needs to get the dragon free to get any more benefit from it. Once the dragon's free . . . well, then it reevaluates things.

- Saph

Hal
2009-08-10, 10:28 PM
The Eladrin Wizard is good. He should feel at least a twang of guilt about keeping a slave, even if it is a dragon. This doesn't mean you browbeat the player for this. No, no, instead, you get the wizard alone with the dragon. The dragon, sensing the "goodness" of the wizard, attempts to befriend him, appealing to his better nature with snippets and anecdotes that will conjure pity in the wizard. "Oh, you learned a flying spell? How nice . . . I remember what it was like to fly. At least, I think I do. It's been so long since I've seen the sky."

In addition, the items your players are bringing back for the dragon to "guard" . . . well, the rule of unforeseen consequences should be in effect. Let them bring back innocuous items to their new treasure vault. These items might seem innocent enough, but the dragon might have other uses for them (such as escape). If this stretches across enough levels, it might be an interesting encounter for the dragon to revert to his "proper" age once his shackles are free.

Jkol
2009-08-11, 02:09 PM
Saph, Hal,

Your advice is much appreciated and makes sense. It seems that patience is my ally here (alongside a certain eladrin w/ a conscience) and I have as many as seven or eight levels to spare if I age up the dragon.

Many thanks for the refocus on my perspective.

- Jkol

Jack_Banzai
2009-08-11, 02:16 PM
My ideal situation is for the dragon to use some of the seemingly "useless" items they have brought back for him to guard to craft an item capable of summoning an older, nastier relative to his rescue. Perhaps a mother, or an uncle. Or indeed the whole family. Aging up the dragon seems like kind of a cop out. But wait for a while. Let them get nice and complacent first.

Myshlaevsky
2009-08-11, 02:34 PM
Remember that dragons have allies, by blood if by nothing else. Dragonborn & kobolds will be drawn to the dragon's service naturally. I wouldn't use these allies to actively rescue it, but I'd have no qualms about using them to exploit any advantage the PC's leave the creature.

Altima
2009-08-11, 02:37 PM
Also, another thing to consider is that bigger dragons tend to spy on smaller dragons (to slay them and take their horde, if they can). Now, the dungeon may be warded against scrying. However, if the PCs were to take a particular item OUT of the dungeon...

Yakk
2009-08-11, 04:20 PM
I like the idea of the dragon not being able to be more helpful.

He should be friendly, boisterous, and wistful.

He's been down here for centuries, and he'll do anything to get free.

Maybe he'll be able to extract a promise to be freed by the players at some point in the future. Make the request really earnest -- "Hey, eventually you won't need me anymore, right? Then you could free me?"

Then a bit later, he might comment "what if you die and don't come back"?

Then a bit later, he has a plan -- take a scale of his, and a letter (quite innocuous), and arrange a dead-man drop for it to be delivered to an old friend of his in the case of the players not coming back for 10 years.

Etc.

Jothki
2009-08-11, 11:37 PM
They can kiss goodbye to any possibility of ever having an idealisticly Good ally. Does anything more need to be done?

Lord Loss
2009-08-12, 06:59 AM
I quite like the Idea of ''let me free, and I'll get you off the Island. Flies The PCs to the top of the volcano. Him in older form + Kobolds + Dragonborn + Relatives = Smashfest!!!

warrl
2009-08-12, 03:58 PM
Has anyone in the party mentioned this captive dragon to anyone?

Might someone else come along, intending either to take the dragon for themselves or to free it?

Jkol
2009-08-13, 09:44 PM
I really appreciate all of the advice. Most of it is much more effective than my original plans. I didn't get a chance to put anything in motion this week as the session was canceled but I fully expect to set this up over 2 -3 sessions at least (amongst other plots).

I have decided on the patience route for the most part with some outside/environmental pressures. As useful as other dragon's/allies could be however I may hold off from doing to much of that because I really want the end result to be a disaster that the party makes for themselves. It will truly be a masterpiece if they could have seen it coming, could have prevented it but simply didn't because they overlooked it.

So my current strategy:

Izzl'Thak (Young Adult Green Dragon: Level 5 Solo)

Objectives
1) Secure freedom by any means necessary
2) Take revenge against the party
3) Take revenge against descendants of original captors (one of whom
is a patron of the party

Resources
1) Skills to manipulate party: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate etc.
2) Potential allies in the form of Kobolds the party has 'leased' part of
level 1 to in exchange for guarding the lair from other squatters.*
3) Knowledge of his own lair/horde which is a seperate location from
the dungeon where he is bound.
4) Original captors were half-elven so it is not unreasonable that he
might have learned to speak elven in the last century.

* As the second level is locked, the Kobolds are currently unaware of the Dragon. I might bring this into play if I can do so in a fashion that is interruptable/preventable/detectable by the players.

The Plan for Freedom
1) Agree to serve the party in any capacity they demand but use
Diplomacy/Insight to negotiate appropriate concessions so as to not
raise suspicions by being too agreeable for a Dragon.
2) Play up the extent of ongoing injuries after the original battle with
the party and possibly fake a related illness/disease using his
significant bluff skill (+15 According to the Monster Manual).
The party may be less guarded if he appears injured and may act
without due preparation if they feel he may not live long enough
otherwise and I don't many (if any) members have insight trained.
3) Sow dissent in the party if doing so can get an individual to act
alone in freeing them.
a) Attempt to hire the Dragonborn who is quite mercenary and has a
track record of attempted double - deals behind the party's
back: Offers could include freedom or payment from the Dragon's
horde.
b) Attempt to pressure the conscience of the Good Eladrin. This
should become significantly easier as the latest plans of the more
evil/mercenary members of the party include offering live
prisoners as a food/bribe.
4) Attempt to accelerate the party's timetable by exaggerating the
impact of the rainy/storm season if asked.
5) Flee the party if released from the chains and an opportunity
presents.

Potential External Influences
1) Rainy/Storm season. I have never done weather in a campaign
before, but I thought a full blown typhoon/hurricane might spice up
the island atmosphere which is getting a bit bland after 5 levels of
fighting in jungle clearings and ancient tombs. Over 2 - 3 Sessions I
plan to ramp up from intermittent rain and overcast skies to a full on
storm with rain, strong winds, lightning and potentially tornadoes.
The party's 'lair' is completely underground and the party might
want to act to ensure that a particularly severe storm doesn't
destroy their chances.
2) The Duke's Second Son: Archibald Prendre Jr. (Half-Elven) is a
patron of the party who has contracted them to retrieve artifacts
and remove inconvenient persons in the past. He wants to move up
the chain of command and is planning to take advantage of the
party to remove his elder brother, when the right opportunity
arises, of course.

Once again thanks to everyone for their helpful feedback. I would of course welcome anyone to continue to point out any flaws or gaps in the current plans.

Cheers,

- Jkol

ETA: Clarification/completeness in my first paragraph

Myshlaevsky
2009-08-14, 03:58 AM
My advice there is to attempt to hire the Dragonborn only when it provides a benefit, but neither jeopardises the escape nor is necessary for it to happen.

You don't want to tip the PC's off. I would recommend not going with that one at all, personally. You have to call this one as it's your PC.

Also, yes, by all means have it speak many other languages.

Fixer
2009-08-14, 06:50 AM
One big suggestion.

It has been held by chains that limit its powers. When this dragon gets freed, have those powers come back. Have age catch up with the dragon in a hurry, to bring it up to a level where it is a very dangerous match for the PCs right off the bat. In this manner it won't be an automatic recapture when the players catch on.

Jack_Banzai
2009-08-17, 12:33 AM
Cute plan. Thumbs up.